Determining, pricing, and/or providing well servicing treatments and data processing systems therefor

ABSTRACT

An embodiment includes a method of pricing a well servicing treatment based on well characteristics, that comprises obtaining one or more well characteristics of the well servicing treatment, and generating a price of the well servicing treatment based on the one or more well characteristics. Other embodiments include methods of pricing a cementing operation and selecting a cement composition for the cement operation, methods of pricing a well servicing treatment during real-time performance of the well servicing treatment, methods of pricing a drilling operation and detecting and visualizing changes in a well bore during real-time performance of the drilling operation, computer programs, and data processing systems.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to determining, pricing, and/or providingwell servicing treatments. More particularly, the present inventionrelates to novel well characteristic methodologies for determining,pricing, and/or providing well servicing treatments and data processingsystems therefor.

Generally, well servicing treatments include a wide variety ofsubterranean operations that may be performed in oil, gas, geothermal,and/or water wells, such as drilling, completion, and workoveroperations. The drilling, completion, and workover operations mayinclude, but are not limited to, drilling, fracturing, acidizing,logging, cementing, gravel packing, perforating, and conformanceoperations. Many of these well servicing treatments are designed toenhance and/or facilitate the recovery of desirable fluids from asubterranean well.

Oilfield service companies and the like, who provide well servicingtreatments, operate in a competitive environment, often involvingcompetition from other companies providing the same or similar services.Consequently, oilfield service companies desire to accurately andcost-effectively determine the price of their respective well servicingtreatments to maintain their competitiveness. Conventionally, the pricefor well servicing treatments have been determined based, inter alia, onthe particular well servicing treatment to be performed. For instance,well servicing treatments have been priced based on the component costof the treatment fluid. The price of the well servicing treatment mayinclude pricing for chemicals, tools, labor, and/or equipment involvedin the well servicing treatment. For instance, in a cementing operation,an optimal cement composition for the operation may first be determinedusing past well data or characteristics about the field. Next, the priceof the cement composition may be determined based on the component costof the optimal cement composition, the total amount of the cementcomposition needed for the operation, the labor and equipments coststhat may be associated with the operation, and desired profitability,taking into account any discounts that may apply. To determine a pricefor a desired well servicing treatment, the labor and equipment costsassociated with the particular well servicing treatment should be takeninto account.

There are drawbacks to the current pricing methodologies. For example,current methodologies generally require a determination of the desiredformulation of the treatment fluid prior to the determination of theprice of the well servicing treatment. This may result in inaccuraciesin the determined price and/or the use of formulations that are not themost desirable and/or cost-effective. Also, current methodologies do notallow formulation changes (and corresponding price changes) to be madein a real-time context. Thus, there may be undesirable delays betweenthe submission of information by the customer relating to the wellservicing treatment and the provision of a price for the well servicingtreatment to the customer, and in determining and providing the wellservicing treatment. Furthermore, current pricing methodologiesgenerally do not effectively utilize computer systems and wireless areanetworks to generate and transmit prices of well servicing treatments.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to determining, pricing, and/or providingwell servicing treatments. More particularly, the present inventionrelates to novel well characteristic methodologies for determining,pricing, and/or providing well servicing treatments and data processingsystems therefor.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of pricing awell servicing treatment based on well characteristics that comprisesobtaining one or more well characteristics of the well servicingtreatment; and generating a price of the well servicing treatment basedon the one or more well characteristics. In certain embodiments, atleast one of the steps of obtaining the one or more well characteristicsor generating a price of the well servicing comprises utilizing a dataprocessing system.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method ofpricing a well servicing treatment using well characteristic thatcomprises obtaining one or more well characteristics of the wellservicing treatment, wherein the one or more well characteristics areobtained from a user by a data processing system capable of generating aprice of the well servicing treatment; and generating a price of thewell servicing treatment based on the one or more well characteristicsutilizing the data processing system.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method ofpricing a well servicing treatment that comprises obtaining one or morewell characteristics of the well servicing treatment over acommunication link that comprises a direct connection, a privatenetwork, a virtual private network, a local area network, a wirelessarea network, an Internet-based communication system, a wirelesscommunication system, a satellite communication system, or a combinationthereof; generating a price of the well servicing treatment based on theone or more well characteristics; and transmitting the price of the wellservicing treatment over the communication link.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method ofpricing a cementing operation and selecting a cement composition for thecementing operation that comprises determining cement data for eachcement composition of a set of cement compositions; using the cementdata to calculate a total maximum stress difference for each of the setof cement compositions; obtaining one or more well characteristics ofthe cementing operation; determining well events; comparing the one ormore well characteristics and well event stress states to the cementdata from each of the set of cement compositions to determine effectivecement compositions for the cementing operation; determining risk ofcement failure for the effective cement compositions; and generating aprice of the cementing operation based on the one or more wellcharacteristics.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method ofpricing a well servicing treatment during real-time performance of thewell servicing treatment that comprises obtaining one or more wellcharacteristics of a well servicing treatment while the well servicingtreatment is in progress; and generating a price of the well servicingtreatment based on the one or more well characteristics that werereceived, wherein the price of the well servicing treatment is generatedwhile the well servicing treatment is in progress.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method ofpricing a drilling operation and detecting and visualizing changes in awell bore, during real-time performance of the drilling operation thatcomprises obtaining one or more well characteristics of the drillingoperation, while the well servicing treatment is in progress; generatinga price of the well servicing treatment based on the one or more wellcharacteristics that were received, wherein the price of the wellservicing treatment is generated while the well servicing treatment isin progress; correlating a time-depth file and a time-data file toobtain a plurality of measurements at a specific depth for a particularwell characteristic; analyzing a change of the particular wellcharacteristic using at least two of the plurality of the measurementsto obtain an interpretation of the change of the particular wellcharacteristic; and displaying the interpretation of the change of theparticular well characteristic using a graphical representation.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a computerprogram, stored on a computer-readable medium, for pricing a wellservicing treatment using well characteristics, the program constructedand arranged to: obtain one or more well characteristics of the wellservicing treatment; and generate a price of the well servicingtreatment based on the one or more well characteristics.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a dataprocessing system for pricing a well servicing treatment that comprisesa processor; a memory communicatively coupled to the processor; andsoftware operable to execute on the processor to obtain one or more wellcharacteristics of the well servicing treatment, and generate a price ofthe well servicing treatment based on the one or more wellcharacteristics.

The features and advantages of the present invention will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the descriptionof the specific embodiments that follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present disclosure and advantagesthereof may be acquired by referring to the following description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a computer system for implementingthe methods of the present invention in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting possible systems for obtainingand/or transmitting data in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for pricing a well servicing treatment inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for obtaining one or more well characteristics inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart for generating a price of a well servicingtreatment in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart for pricing a cementing operation and selecting acement composition in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are flow charts for pricing a well servicing treatmentduring real-time in accordance with certain embodiments of the presentinvention.

While the present invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by wayof example in the figures and are herein described in detail. It shouldbe understood, however, that the description herein of specificembodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particularforms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to determining, pricing, and/or providingwell servicing treatments. More particularly, the present inventionrelates to novel well characteristic methodologies for determining,pricing, and/or providing well servicing treatments and data processingsystems therefor. The price of the well servicing treatment may includepricing for chemicals, tools, labor, and/or equipment involved in thewell servicing treatment. The methods of the present invention may beused for generating a price for a wide variety of well servicingtreatments that may be performed in oil, gas, geothermal, and/or waterwells, such as drilling, completion, and workover operations. Thedrilling, completion, and workover operations may include, but are notlimited to, drilling, fracturing, acidizing, logging, gravel packing,cementing, perforating, and conformance operations. In the drilling andcompletion of an oil or gas well, a cementing composition is oftenintroduced in the well bore for cementing pipe swing or casing. In thisprocess, known as “primary cementing,” a cementing composition is pumpedinto the annular space between the walls of the well bore and thecasing. The cementing composition sets in the annular space, supportingand positioning the casing, and forming a substantially impermeablebarrier, or cement sheath, which divides the well bore into subterraneanzones.

The methods of the present invention may be implemented utilizing anysuitable data processing system, including computer systems, handhelddevices, or any other suitable device. A suitable data processing systemmay include a processor, memory, and software operable on the processorto implement the methods of the present invention. Referring now to FIG.1, a computer system suitable for use with the present invention isdepicted and generally referenced by numeral 100. Computer system 100comprises a processor 102, memory 104, input out (“I/O”) interface 106,and I/O interface 108. Processor 102 may comprise one central processingunit or may be distributed across one or more processors in one or morelocations. Memory 104 should be communicatively coupled to processor102. Memory 104 may be read-only memory, random-access memory, or thelike. I/O interfaces 106 and I/O interfaces 108 should becommunicatively coupled to processor 102. I/O interfaces 106 and I/Ointerfaces 108 may be any suitable system for connecting computer system100 to a communication link, such as a direct connection, a privatenetwork, a virtual private network, a local area network, a wide areanetwork (“WAN”), a wireless communication system, or combinationsthereof; storage devices, such as storage 110; external devices, such asa keyboard, a monitor, a printer, a voice recognition device, or amouse; or any other suitable system. Storage 110 also may be provided.Storage 110 should be communicatively coupled to I/O interfaces 108.Storage 110 may comprise any device suitable for storing data to beprocessed, including, but not limited to, compact disc drives, floppydrives, hard disks, and the like. Those of ordinary skill in the artwill appreciate that suitable data processing systems may compriseadditional, fewer, and/or different components than those described forcomputer system 100.

To generate a price of a well servicing treatment utilizing the methodsof the present invention, computer system 100 should be able to obtainand transmit data needed therefor. FIG. 2 is a depiction of possiblesystems for obtaining and/or transmitting data (e.g., wellcharacteristics, price, lists, etc.) by computer system 100 inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In oneembodiment, computer system 100 may obtain data from and/or transmitdata to a user of computer system 100 via suitable I/O means, such as akeyboard, a mouse, a voice recognition device, and/or a monitor (notshown) that are communicatively coupled to computer system 100 via I/Ointerfaces 106, 108 (depicted on FIG. 1). As used herein, “user” isdefined to include real persons, data processing systems (e.g., computersystems, etc.), or any other suitable mechanism. The user may beassociated with a provider of well servicing treatments or be a customerof such provider of well servicing treatments. In other embodiments,computer system 100 may obtain data from and/or transmit data to a userof a second data processing system over a communication link, e.g., to auser of second computer system 204 that is communicatively coupled tocomputer system 100 via communication link 206. Communication link 206may include a direct connection, a private network, a virtual privatenetwork, a local area network, a WAN (e.g., an Internet-basedcommunication system), a wireless communication system (e.g., asatellite communication system, telephones), combinations thereof, orany other suitable communication link. In yet another embodiment,computer system 100 may obtain data from and/or transmit data to a wellsite 208 over a communication link. In these embodiments, data may beobtained from and/or transmitted to well site 208 over any suitablecommunication link, such as wireless communication system 210 (e.g., asatellite communication system) or WAN 212 (e.g., an Internet-basedcommunication system). One of ordinary skill in the art will recognizeother suitable systems over which computer system 100 may obtain and/ortransmit data for a particular application.

Referring to FIG. 3, a flow chart is illustrated that depicts anembodiment of the methods of the present invention, generally referredto as method 300. Method 300 generally involves generating a price for awell servicing treatment using well characteristics in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention. Method 300 of the presentinvention generally comprises obtaining one or more well characteristicsfor a well servicing treatment, depicted in block 302; and generating aprice of the well servicing treatment based on the one or more wellcharacteristics that were obtained, depicted in block 304. The methodsof the present invention may further comprise optionally applying aprofitability factor to the price of the well servicing treatment,depicted in block 306; optionally applying a discount factor to theprice of the well servicing treatment, depicted in block 308;transmitting the price of the well servicing treatment, depicted inblock 310; determining whether the transmitted price is accepted,depicted in block 311; completing a sale of the well servicing treatmentbased on the price of the well servicing treatment, depicted in block312; performing the well servicing treatment, depicted in block 314; anddetermining whether an additional well servicing treatment will beperformed, depicted in block 316.

In block 302 of FIG. 3, one or more well characteristics for a wellservicing treatment are obtained. The well characteristics that wereobtained may be for a particular well or set of wells (e.g., wells in aparticular field) dependent upon the well servicing treatment. Each wellcharacteristic may affect the price of a well servicing treatment. Wellcharacteristics include a variety of routinely measurable or calculableparameters inherent in or desirable for a well for a particulartreatment, including, but not limited to, bottom-hole static temperature(“BHST”), bottom-hole circulating temperature (“BHCT”), applicableenvironmental regulations, depth, type of formation, type ofhydrocarbons, geographical area, formation porosity, formationpermeability, desired pump rate, desired density of a treatment fluid,desired level of fluid loss control, desired pump time, existence ofthief zone, corrosion potential, pipe friction, and existence ofreactive shale. The particular well characteristics used to generate theprice of the well servicing treatment will vary, dependent, inter alia,on the desired well servicing treatment (e.g., drilling, completion, orworkover), the particular well or set of wells, and other factors knownto those of ordinary skill in the art. In one embodiment, where the wellservicing treatment is a cementing operation, an example list of wellcharacteristics comprises type of hydrocarbons, geographical area, typeof formation, formation porosity, formation permeability, verticaldepth, BHST, BHCT, desired pump rate, desired density of a cementcomposition, desired level of fluid loss control, desired pump time,corrosion potential, pipe friction, and existence of a thief zone.

The well characteristics may be obtained using a variety of techniques.In one embodiment where a data processing system (such as computersystem 100, depicted in FIGS. 1-2) is used to implement the methods ofthe present invention, the well characteristics may be obtained from theuser of another data processing system (such as second computer system204 depicted in FIG. 2) over a communication link. In some embodimentswhere a data processing system is used, the well characteristics may beobtained by computer system 100 (depicted in FIGS. 1-2) from a user ofcomputer system 100. Generally, any sensing technique and equipmentsuitable for detecting well characteristics with suitable sensitivityand/or resolution may be used to determine the well characteristics thatare to be obtained. In some embodiments, the well characteristics may bedetermined using analytical methods, magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”),formation evaluation, drill stem testing, logging tools, seismicmethods, or other suitable techniques. For example, the wellcharacteristics may be determined downhole with real-time date telemetryto the surface, or by delayed transfer (e.g., by storage of datadownhole, followed by subsequent telemetry to the surface or subsequentretrieval of the downhole sensing device). In some embodiments, the wellcharacteristics may be determined using any one or a combination ofdownhole logging-while-drilling sensors, measurement-while-drillingsensors, wireline and drillpipe-conveyed wireline tools,drillpipe-conveyed sensors, coiled tubing-conveyed sensors,casing-conveyed sensors, tractor-conveyed sensors, permanent downholesensors, oilfield production data sensors, fluid-conveyed sensors, orother suitable sensors.

Table 1 provides an example list of well characteristics to be obtainedfor an example cementing operation. In Table 1, the well characteristicsare listed as WCi, wherein i is 1 to n, wherein n may be any suitableinteger, depending on, for example, the particular well or theparticular well servicing treatment. The following list is a nonlimitinglist of some well characteristics and in no way should be construed asan exhaustive list. The applicable well characteristics will be known tothose of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure,and can be taken into account in conjunction with the methods of thepresent invention.

TABLE 1 EXAMPLE WELL CHARACTERISTICS WCi Well Characteristic WC1 TYPE OFHYDROCARBONS WC2 GEOGRAPHICAL AREA WC3 TYPE OF FORMATION WC4 FORMATIONPOROSITY WC5 FORMATION PERMEABILITY WC6 VERTICAL DEPTH WC7 BHST WC8 BHCTWC9 DESIRED PUMP RATE WC10 DESIRED DENSITY OF CEMENT COMPOSITION WC11DESIRED LEVEL OF FLUID LOSS CONTROL WC12 DESIRED PUMP TIME WC13CORROSION POTENTIAL WC14 PIPE FRICTION WC15 EXISTENCE OF THIEF ZONE WCNWELL CHARACTERISTIC N

Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow chart is illustrated that depicts oneembodiment of the present invention for obtaining one or more wellcharacteristics for a well servicing treatment, generally referenced bythe numeral 302. In one embodiment, obtaining one or more wellcharacteristics for a well servicing treatment may comprise transmittinga list of possible well servicing treatments to a user, depicted inblock 402. In some embodiments, the list of possible well servicingtreatments may be transmitted to the user as discussed above for thetransmission of data by computer system 100 in relation to FIG. 2. Thelist of well servicing treatments may include any of a variety of wellservicing treatments that may be performed in oil, gas, geothermal,and/or water wells, such as drilling, completion, and workoveroperations. The drilling, completion, and workover operations mayinclude, but are not limited to, drilling, fracturing, acidizing,logging, gravel packing, cementing, perforating, and conformanceoperations. In some embodiments, the well servicing treatment maycomprise nanoparticles.

Obtaining the one or more well characteristics for a well servicingtreatment further may comprise receiving a selection of the wellservicing treatment to be priced from the user based on the transmittedlist of possible well servicing treatments, depicted in block 404 ofFIG. 4. In some embodiments, the selection of the well servicingtreatment may be received from the user as discussed above for theobtainment of data by computer system 100 in relation to FIG. 2.Referring again to FIG. 4, once the selection of the well servicingtreatment is received, this embodiment further may comprise transmittingto the user a list of one or more well characteristics to input based onthe well servicing treatment that was selected from the list, depictedin block 406. In some embodiments, the list of the one or more wellcharacteristics to provide may be transmitted to the user as discussedabove for the transmission of data by computer system 100 in relation toFIG. 2. The list of the one or more well characteristics to input mayinclude a preselected list of well characteristics suitable forgenerating a price based on selection of the particular well servicingtreatment that was received. Next, obtaining one or more wellcharacteristics of the well servicing treatment further may comprisereceiving from the user input of the one or more well characteristics ofthe well servicing treatment, depicted in block 408 of FIG. 4. In someembodiments, the input may be received from the user as discussed abovefor the obtainment of data by computer system 100 in relation to FIG. 2.The input of the one or more well characteristics received from the usergenerally should be based on the transmitted list of the one or morewell characteristics to input.

Referring again to FIG. 3, in block 304, a price of the well servicingtreatment is generated based on the one or more well characteristicsthat were obtained. In some embodiments, the price may be generated by adata processing system, such as computer system 100 (depicted in FIGS.1-2) capable of generating a price of the well servicing treatment basedon the one or more well characteristics. Generating a price of the wellservicing treatment based on the one or more well characteristics may beaccomplished by any suitable methodology, taking into account, forexample, known and/or determinable factors and weights associated witheach of the one or more well characteristics. For example, historicaldata for a number of previous well servicing treatments may be collectedand analyzed. This historical data may include one or more wellcharacteristics associated with the previous well servicing treatmentsand the overall prices for the previous well servicing treatments thatinclude the cost of the chemicals, tools, and/or equipment utilized inthe particular well servicing treatment. Once this historical data iscollected and analyzed, a relationship may be determined between thewell characteristics from the previous well servicing treatments and theoverall price of the previous well servicing treatments. In someembodiments, this relationship between the price of a well servicingtreatment and well characteristics may be expressed as a mathematicalalgorithm, wherein determining the price of the well servicing treatmentmay include utilization of the mathematical algorithm.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a flow chart is illustrated that depicts anembodiment of the present invention for generating a price of the wellservicing treatment, generally referenced by the numeral 304. In oneembodiment, generating a price of the well servicing treatment based onthe one or more well characteristics may comprise determining referencevalues for the one or more well characteristics, depicted in block 502;determining a reference value total for the well servicing treatmentbased on the determined reference values, depicted in block 504; andgenerating a price of the well servicing treatment based on thereference value total for the well servicing treatment, depicted inblock 506.

In block 502 of FIG. 5, reference values for the one or more wellcharacteristics are determined. Generally, reference values representthe portion of the estimated well servicing treatment price associatedwith the particular well characteristic. Determination of a referencevalue for each of the well characteristics may be accomplished by anysuitable methodology, taking into account, for example, known and/ordeterminable factors and weights associated with each wellcharacteristic. These reference values may be stored in a medium (e.g.,a database) for retrieval for use in conjunction with the presentinvention. In some embodiments, determination of reference values forthe one or more well characteristics may be accomplished by collectingand analyzing historical data for a number of previous well servicingtreatments. This historical data collected may include one or more wellcharacteristics associated with the previous well servicing treatmentsand the overall prices for the previous well servicing treatments thatinclude the cost of the chemicals, tools, labor, and/or equipmentutilized in the particular well servicing treatment. Once thishistorical data is collected and analyzed, a relationship may bedetermined between the well characteristics from the previous wellservicing treatments and the overall price of the previous wellservicing treatments. In some embodiments, this relationship may beexpressed as a mathematical algorithm, wherein determining a referencevalue for each of the well characteristics may include utilization ofthe mathematical algorithm.

In other embodiments, this relationship may be utilized to develop alook-up table for each of the well characteristics, wherein referencevalues for the one or more well characteristics may be determined byutilizing the look-up tables. An example of a look-up table for one ofthe well characteristics may look like Table 2, below. Generally, thelook-up table for each of the well characteristics may have a number oflevels, wherein the specific number of levels will be dependent upon theparticular well characteristic and variations of that wellcharacteristic. Each level may be given an associated reference valuebased on the determined relationship. Listed below in Table 2 is anexample look-up table for a particular well characteristic, verticaldepth, and the associated reference values for the different levels. Oneof ordinary skill in the art will know that the reference values listedin Table 2 are hypothetical examples and actual reference values willvary based on a number of factors, including, for example, thedetermined relationship between reference values and wellcharacteristics.

TABLE 2 EXAMPLE LOOK-UP TABLE FOR DETERMINING REFERENCE VALUES VerticalDepth (ft) Reference Value 1,000 1 10,000 2 20,000 3 30,000 4 40,000 5

As will be discussed later, these reference values or others like thesecan be used to determine the price of the well servicing treatment. Oneof ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, willunderstand that other suitable formats for reference values may be usedin accordance with the methods of the present invention.

Look-up tables are not continuous and may include multiple discretelevels. For example, in the embodiment shown in Table 2, there are fivediscrete reference values listed for vertical depths of 1,000 feet to40,000 feet. If the determined vertical depth was between or beyond oneof these discrete levels, the reference value for the determinedvertical depth may be interpolated or extrapolated between theassociated reference values to determine the appropriate referencevalue. Furthermore, the relationship between the reference value and thewell characteristic may be linear or nonlinear as determined by one ofordinary skill in the art, depending, for example, on the determinedrelationship between reference values and the particular wellcharacteristic, which can be guided by the historical data. Certain wellcharacteristics may indicate an exponential relationship between thewell characteristics and a reference value for the well characteristics.

In some embodiments, a default reference value may be given to each ofthe well characteristics. Generally, the default reference values may bedifferent for each of the well characteristics. In certain embodiments,the default reference value may represent the average portion of theprice of a well servicing treatment associated with the particular wellcharacteristics. This average portion may be determined by analysis ofthe collected data that was discussed above, e.g., from a database. Inthese embodiments, the default reference value for each of the wellcharacteristics may be used in the generation of the price unlessoverridden by the obtainment of the particular well characteristic andsubsequent determination of an associated reference value. The defaultreference values for each of the well characteristics may not beoverridden for a number of reasons, such as where the data needed todetermine the particular well characteristics is not provided and/or notavailable.

In block 504 of FIG. 5, a reference value total for the well servicingtreatment is determined based on the determined reference values.Generally, in some embodiments, determination of a reference value total(“RVTOTAL”) includes summation of the reference values for the one ormore well characteristics, for example, in accordance with the followingformula:

${RV}_{TOTAL} = {\sum\limits_{i = 1}^{n}\;{RV}_{i}}$wherein RVTOTAL is the reference value total for the well servicingtreatment, RVi is the reference value for a particular wellcharacteristic, and i is an integer from about 1 to about n, wherein nmay be any suitable integer, depending on, for example, the particularwell or the particular well servicing treatment. However, othermethodologies for determining a reference value total may be useddependent on, for example, the form of the determined reference values.

In block 506 of FIG. 3, a price of the well servicing treatment isgenerated based on the reference value total for the well servicingtreatment. In some embodiments, the determined price may be the overallprice of the well servicing treatment that is inclusive of the desiredprofitability. In other embodiments, the determined price may be thecost of the well servicing treatment to the provider of the wellservicing treatment, wherein an additional profitability factor may beapplied, as discussed below. The price of the well servicing treatmentmay be generated based on a relationship between the reference valuetotal and a price for the well servicing treatment. The price mayinclude the cumulative price of all portions and components (e.g.,chemicals, tools, labor, and/or equipment) of the treatment, taking intoaccount the specific well characteristics of the well servicingtreatment. The relationship between the reference value total and theprice of a well servicing treatment may be determined by collecting andanalyzing historical data for a number of previous well servicingtreatments. The historical data may include one or more wellcharacteristics associated with the previous well servicing treatmentsand the overall price for the previous well servicing treatments thatincludes the price for the chemicals, tools, labor, and/or equipmentutilized in the particular well servicing treatment. The relationshipbetween the reference value total and the price of the well servicingtreatment may be linear or nonlinear, depending, for example, on thedetermined relationship between reference value totals and price.Certain relationships may dictate an exponential relationship betweenthe reference value total and a price for a well servicing treatment.One of ordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure,will understand that other suitable methodologies for determining aprice of a well servicing treatment based on a reference value total forthe well servicing treatment may be used in accordance with the methodsof the present invention. In some embodiments, this relationship may beexpressed as a mathematical algorithm, wherein determining the price ofthe well servicing treatment may include utilization of the algorithm.

In other embodiments, this relationship may be utilized to develop alook-up table for determining a price of a well servicing treatmentbased on a reference value total, wherein a price for the well servicingtreatment may be determined by utilizing the look-up table. An examplelook-up table for determining a price of a well servicing treatment maylook like Table 3, below. In some embodiments, the look-up table mayhave a number of levels, wherein the specific number of levels will bebased on the determined relationship between the reference value totaland a price for a well servicing treatment. Each level may be given avalue indicative of a price of a well servicing treatment based on thedetermined relationship. Listed below in Table 3 is an example fordetermining the price of a well servicing treatment based on a referencevalue total. One of ordinary skill in the art will know that the valueslisted in Table 3 are hypothetical examples and actual values will varybased on a number of factors, including, for example, the determinedrelationship between a price for a well servicing treatment and areference value total.

TABLE 3 EXAMPLE LOOK-UP TABLE FOR DETERMINING PRICE Reference ValueTotal Price 2 $10,000 4 $20,000 6 $40,000 8 $80,000 10 $160,000

Look-up tables are not continuous and may include multiple discretelevels. For example, in the embodiment shown in Table 3, there are fivediscrete prices listed for reference value totals of between 2 and 10.If the reference value was between or beyond one of these discretelevels, the associated price for the reference value total may beinterpolated or extrapolated between the associated prices to determinethe appropriate price for the well servicing treatment.

Referring again to FIG. 3, in some embodiments, profitability factorsand/or discount factors may be applied to the price of the wellservicing treatment that was determined in block 304. Afterdetermination of the price of the well servicing treatment in block 304,a determination may be made as to applying a profitability factor to theprice of the well servicing treatment, depicted in block 305 of FIG. 3.If a profitability factor is to be applied, it is applied to the priceof the well servicing treatment to provide a modified price of the wellservicing treatment, depicted in block 306 of FIG. 3. If a profitabilityfactor is not to be applied, this embodiment of the methods of thepresent invention moves to block 307, discussed further below. Whileapplication of a profitability factor to the price is optional, aprofitability factor may be applied to provide a modified price, forexample, when desired to adjust the profitability of a particular wellservicing treatment as desired or to determine a price of the wellservicing treatment that includes a desired profitability, for example,where the determined price is the cost of the well servicing treatment.For instance, application of a 10% profitability factor to a price of$10,000 provides a modified price of $11,000. Other suitable methods maybe used to apply a profitability factor to the price.

As depicted in block 307 of FIG. 3, a determination may be made as toapplying a discount factor to the price of the well servicing treatment.If a discount factor is to be applied, it is applied to the price of thewell servicing treatment to provide a discounted price, depicted inblock 308 of FIG. 3. If a discount factor is not to be applied, thisembodiment of the methods of the present invention moves to block 310,discussed further below. While application of a discount factor to theprice is optional, a discount factor may be applied to provide adiscounted price as desired, for example, based on an existingagreement, the availability of raw materials, and other suitablefactors. The discount factor should represent a percentage discount fromthe price that will be applied so that a discounted price may bedetermined. For example, application of a discount factor of 10% to aprice of $10,000 provides a discounted price of $9,000. Other suitablemethods may be used to apply a discount factor to the price. Those ofordinary skill in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, willrecognize that in some embodiments, a profitability factor may beapplied to a discounted price, for example, to ensure that the treatmentis not performed at a cost loss to the treatment provider.

In some embodiments, the methods of the present invention further maycomprise transmitting the price of the well servicing treatment that wasgenerated, depicted in block 310 of FIG. 3. In some embodiments, theprice may be transmitted to the user as discussed above for thetransmission of data by computer system 100 in relation to FIG. 2. Oncetransmitted to the user, a determination may be made as to whether thetransmitted price was accepted by a customer, depicted in block 311. Insome embodiments, the customer may be the user. In other embodiments,the user may be associated with a provider of well servicing treatments,wherein the user may have to transmit the price to the customer.

If the customer accepts the price that was transmitted thereto, in someembodiments, the methods of the present invention further may comprisecompleting a sale of the well servicing treatment based on the price ofthe well servicing treatment, depicted in block 312 of FIG. 3.Completing the sale of the well servicing treatment may be accomplishedby utilizing any suitable technique for completing the sale of a wellservicing treatment between a customer and a provider of well servicingtreatments. In one embodiment, where the price of the well servicingtreatment is transmitted by a data processing system (such as computersystem 100, depicted on FIGS. 1-2) to the user (e.g., a customer) of asecond data processing system (such as second computer system 204,depicted on FIG. 2) over a WAN, e.g., an Internet-based communicationsystem, an online purchasing technique may be used. Any suitable onlinepurchasing technique may be used, including, but not limited to,expedited online purchasing techniques, wherein required data forcompleting the purchase is saved so the purchasing technique does notinclude a step of submitting data. One of ordinary skill in the art,with the benefit of this disclosure, will be able to select anappropriate technique for completing the sale of the well servicingtreatment for a particular application.

Referring again to FIG. 3, once a price of a well servicing treatment isdetermined, as discussed above, the methods of the present invention mayfurther comprise performing the well servicing treatment, depicted inblock 314. The well servicing treatments that may be performed may beany of a wide variety of well servicing treatments that may be performedin oil, gas, geothermal, and/or water wells, such as drilling,completion, and workover operations. The drilling, completion, andworkover operations may include, but are not limited to, drilling,fracturing, acidizing, logging, gravel packing, cementing, perforating,and conformance operations.

As depicted in block 316, in some embodiments, it may next be determinedwhether an additional well servicing treatment will be performed. Anysuitable technique may be used to determine whether another wellservicing treatment will be performed. For example, a user may have theoption of performing the methodology again to price the additional wellservicing treatment, wherein the user may be prompted for a response. Ifan additional well servicing treatment is to be performed, the executionof the methodology moves to block 302 for obtaining one or more wellcharacteristics of the additional well servicing treatment.

Some embodiments of the present invention may comprise utilizing aneural network. For example, the neural network may be used to determinethe one or more well characteristics. In some embodiments, where themethods of the present invention are implemented on a data processingsystem, the data processing system may comprise a neural network. U.S.Pat. No. 6,002,985, the entire disclosure of which is incorporate hereinby reference, describes utilization of a neural network in conjunctionwith well servicing treatments.

In one embodiment, the methods of the present invention may be combinedwith a method of selecting a cement composition from a set of cementcompositions. Referring now to FIG. 6, a flowchart is illustrated thatdepicts an embodiment of this combined method, generally referenced bynumeral 600. Method 600 generally involves generating a price andselecting a cement composition from a set of cement compositions for acementing operation. In one embodiment, method 600 may comprisedetermining cement data for each cement composition of the set of cementcompositions, depicted in block 602; using the cement data to calculatea total maximum stress difference for each of the set of cementcompositions, depicted in block 604; obtaining one or more wellcharacteristics of the cementing operation, depicted in block 606;determining well events, depicted in block 608; comparing the one ormore well characteristics and well event stress states to the cementdata from each of the set of cement compositions to determine effectivecement compositions for the cementing operation, depicted in block 610;determining the risk of cement failure for the effective cementcompositions, depicted in block 612; and generating a price of thecementing operation based on the one or more well characteristics,depicted in block 614. Exemplary methodology for selecting a cementcomposition from a set of cement compositions is described in U.S. Pat.No. 6,697,738, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein byreference. Generating a price based on the one or more wellcharacteristics in block 614 should be accomplished using the samemethodology as for generating a price of the well servicing treatmentbased on one or more well characteristics as discussed above and shownin block 304 of FIG. 3.

In block 602, cement data for each cement composition of the set ofcement compositions may be determined. Cement data include, but are notlimited to, the following properties for each cement composition:Young's Modulus, Poisson's ratio, tensile strength, unconfined andconfined triaxial data, hydrostatic data, oedometer data, compressivestrength, porosity, permeability, and yield parameters, such as theMohr-Coulomb plastic parameters (e.g., internal friction angle, “a,” andcohesiveness, “c”). These properties may be determined by experimentalmeasurements, such as tensile strength experiments, unconfined andconfined triaxial experimental tests, hydrostatic tests, and oedometertests. Yield parameters also may be estimated from suitable materialmodels, such as Drucker Prager, Modified Cap, and Egg-Clam-Clay.

In block 604, the cement data is used to calculate a total maximumstress difference for each of the set of cement compositions. Generally,the stress state of a cement composition, both before and afterhydration, may impact the long-term integrity of the cement sheath.Among other things, the integrity of the cement sheath may depend on theshrinkage and Young's modulus of the cement composition. The stressstate of the cement compositions may be determined, both before andafter hydration. Since the elastic stiffness of the cement compositionevolves in parallel with the shrinkage process, the total maximum stressdifference of a cement composition may be calculated using the followingformula:

Δσ_(sh) = k∫_(ɛ_(sh(set)))^(ɛ_(sh(total)))E_((ɛ_(sh)))⋅ 𝕕ɛ_(sh)E_((ɛ_(sh)))wherein Δσsh is the maximum stress difference due to shrinkage; k is afactor depending on the Poisson ratio and the boundary conditions; isthe Young's modulus of the cement depending on the advance of theshrinkage process; and εsh is the shrinkage at a time (t) during settingor hardening.

In block 606, well characteristics of the cementing operations areobtained. Obtaining the well characteristics of the cement operationshould be accomplished using the same methodology as for obtaining oneor more well characteristics of a well servicing treatment as discussedabove and shown in block 302 of FIG. 3.

In block 608, well events are determined. Examples of well eventsinclude, but are not limited to, cement hydration, pressure testing,well completions, hydraulic fracturing, hydrocarbon production, fluidinjection, perforation, subsequent drilling, formation movement as aresult of producing hydrocarbons at high rates from unconsolidatedformation, and tectonic movement after the cement composition has beenpumped into place. Well events include those events that are certain tohappen during the life of the well, such as cement hydration, and thoseevents that are readily predicted to occur during the life of the well,given a particular well's location, rock type, and other factors wellknown in the art.

In block 610, the one or more well characteristics and well event stressstates are compared to the cement data from each of the set of cementcompositions to determine effective cement compositions for thecementing operation. The cementing compositions that would be effectivefor sealing the subterranean zone and their capacity from its elasticlimit are determined. In one embodiment, block 610 comprises usingFinite Element Analysis to assess the integrity of the cement sheathduring the life of the well. One software program that can accomplishthis is the “WELLLIFE™” software program, available from HalliburtonEnergy Services, Duncan, Okla. The “WELLLIFE™” software program is builton the “DIANA™” Finite Element Analysis program, available from TNOBuilding and Construction Research, Delft, the Netherlands. For thecomparison, all the cement compositions are assumed to behave linearlyas long as their tensile strength or compressive shear strength is notexceeded. The material modeling adopted for the undamaged cement is aHookean model bounded by smear cracking in tension and Mohr-Coulomb inthe compressive shear. Shrinkage and expansion (volume change) of thecement compositions are included in the material model. Step 610concludes by determining which cement compositions would be effective inmaintaining the integrity of the resulting cement sheath for the life ofthe well.

In block 612, the risk of cement failure is determined. In theseembodiments, parameters for risk of cement failure for the effectivecementing compositions are determined. For example, even though a cementcomposition is deemed effective, one cement composition may be moreeffective than another. In one embodiment, the risk parameters arecalculated as percentages of cement competency during the determinationof the risk of cement failure in block 612.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow chart is illustrated that depicts anembodiment of the present invention for utilizing the methods of thepresent invention in conjunction with a well servicing treatment todetermine the price of the well servicing treatment in real-time,generally referred to as method 700. Method 700 comprises obtaining oneor more well characteristics of a well servicing treatment from a wellsite while the well servicing treatment is in progress, depicted inblock 702. As discussed above, the one or more well characteristics maybe obtained by a data processing system capable of implementing themethods of the present invention, such as computer system 100, depictedon FIGS. 1-2. In certain embodiments, computer system 100 may obtain thedata from well site 208 over any suitable communication link, forexample, wireless communication system 210 (e.g., a satellitecommunication system) or WAN 212 (e.g., an Internet-based communicationsystem) (depicted on FIG. 2). At well site 208, any sensing techniqueand equipment suitable for detecting well characteristics with suitablesensitivity and/or resolution may be used to determine the wellcharacteristics that are to be obtained. In some embodiments, the wellcharacteristics may be determined by using analytical methods, magneticresonance imaging, formation evaluation, drill stem testing, loggingtools, seismic methods, or other suitable techniques. For example, thewell characteristics may be determined downhole with real-time datetelemetry to the surface, or by delayed transfer (e.g., by storage ofdata downhole, followed by subsequent telemetry to the surface orsubsequent retrieval of the downhole sensing device). In someembodiments, the well characteristics may be determined using any one ora combination of downhole logging-while-drilling sensors,measurement-while-drilling sensors, wireline and drillpipe-conveyedwireline tools, drillpipe-conveyed sensors, coiled tubing-conveyedsensors, casing-conveyed sensors, tractor-conveyed sensors, permanentdownhole sensors, oilfield production data sensors, fluid-conveyedsensors, or other suitable sensors.

In block 704 of FIG. 7, method 700 of the present invention may furthercomprise determining a recommended formulation of a treatment fluid touse during the well servicing treatment based on the one or more wellcharacteristics that were obtained. The recommended formulation shouldbe determined while the well servicing treatment is in progress. Thetreatment fluid may be any suitable treatment fluid that may be used inoil, gas, geothermal, and/or water wells, such as those used duringdrilling, completion, and workover operations. Examples of treatmentfluids include, but are not limited to, drilling fluids, completionfluids, cement compositions, stimulation fluids, and the like. Anysuitable technique may be used to determine a recommended formulation ofa treatment fluid. An example of a suitable technique for selecting acement composition that may be incorporated into the methods of thepresent invention for determining a recommended formulation is describedin U.S. Pat. No. 6,697,738, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

In block 705, the selection of the treatment fluid may be transmitted toa user, wherein the selection is transmitted while the well servicingtreatment is in progress. In some embodiments, the selection may betransmitted to the user by a data processing system, as discussed abovefor the transmission of data by computer system 100 in relation to FIG.2.

In block 706, method 700 of the present invention may further comprisegenerating a price of the well servicing treatment based on the one ormore well characteristics obtained during performance of the wellservicing treatment. The price of the well servicing treatment should begenerated while the well servicing treatment is in progress. Anysuitable methodology may be used to generate a price of the wellservicing treatment. In general, generating a price of the wellservicing treatment utilizes the same methodology as for generating aprice of the well servicing treatment based on one or more wellcharacteristics, as discussed above in relation to block 304 of FIG. 3.In some embodiments, generation of a price further may take into accounthistorical well characteristics that were obtained prior to obtainingthe one or more well characteristics in block 704; for instance, thesehistorical well characteristics may have been used to generate a priceof the well servicing treatment prior to performance of the wellservicing treatment. In some embodiments, these historical wellcharacteristics may be used as default well characteristics that areused unless overridden by the one or more well characteristics that wereobtained in block 702. Additionally, profitability and/or discountfactors also may be applied to the revised price, as discussed above, inrelation to blocks 306 and 308 of FIG. 3, respectively.

In block 708, the price of the well servicing treatment may betransmitted to a user, wherein the price is transmitted while the wellservicing treatment is in progress. In some embodiments, the price maybe transmitted to the user by a data processing system, such as computersystem 100 (depicted in FIGS. 1-2), as discussed above, for thetransmission of data by computer system 100 in relation to FIG. 2.

In block 709, it should be determined whether to continue the wellservicing treatment based on the price that was transmitted to the user.Any suitable technique may be used to determine whether to continue thewell servicing technique. For example, the execution of the method maybe set so that the answer is always yes while the well servicingtreatment is in progress, and the answer is always no after completionof the well servicing treatment. Or a user may have the option ofcontinuing the well servicing treatment; for example, the user may beprompted for a response. If the well servicing treatment is to becontinued, the execution of the methodology moves to block 710 fordetermining whether to continue pricing the well servicing treatment.

Once the price is transmitted to the user, it should be determinedwhether to continue pricing the well servicing treatment, depicted inblock 710. Any suitable technique may be used to determine whether tocontinue pricing the well servicing treatment. For example, theexecution of the method may be set so that the answer is always yeswhile the well servicing treatment is in progress, and the answer isalways no after completion of the well servicing treatment. Or a usermay have the option of performing the methodology again; for example,the user may be prompted for a response. If the pricing is to becontinued, the execution of the methodology moves to block 702 fordetermining one or more well characteristics while the well servicingtreatment is in progress.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a flow chart is illustrated that depicts anembodiment of the present invention for pricing a drilling operation inreal-time and detecting and visualizing changes in a well bore,generally referred to as method 800. In one embodiment, method 800 maycomprise obtaining one or more well characteristics of the drillingoperation, while the drilling operation is in progress, depicted inblock 802; generating a price of the drilling operation based on the oneor more well characteristics, wherein the price is generated while thedrilling operation is in progress, depicted in block 804; correlating atime-depth file and a time-data file to obtain a plurality ofmeasurements at a specific depth for a particular well characteristic,depicted in block 806; analyzing a change of the particular wellcharacteristic, using at least two of the plurality of the measurementsto obtain an interpretation of the change of the particular wellcharacteristic, depicted in block 808; and displaying the interpretationof the change of the particular well characteristic using a graphicalrepresentation, depicted in block 810. Exemplary methodology fordetecting and visualizing changes in a well bore is described in U.S.Pub. App. No. 2004/0138818, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

Obtaining one or more well characteristics of the drilling operation inblock 802 should be accomplished using the same methodology as forobtaining one or more well characteristics as discussed above in block302 of FIG. 3. Furthermore, generating a price based on the one or morewell characteristics in block 804 should be accomplished using the samemethodology as for generating a price of the well servicing treatmentbased on one or more well characteristics as discussed above in block304 of FIG. 3.

In block 806, the time-depth file and a time-data file are correlated toobtain a plurality of measurements at a specific depth for a particularwell characteristic, depicted in block 806. Generally, the time-depthfile may contain a column of clock time and a corresponding bit depthfor each clock time. Generally, the time-data file may contain a columnof clock time and a corresponding sensor measurement of the one or morewell characteristics for each clock time. With a known offset betweenthe bit depth and the measurement sensor, the one or more wellcharacteristics may be determined at the corresponding formation depth.

Once a particular well characteristic is correlated for each depthincrement, the changes for the particular well characteristic arecomputed, as depicted in block 808. Generally, computed changes for aparticular well characteristic may be the difference and/or,alternatively, the rate of change between a base value for theparticular well characteristic and subsequent value(s) for theparticular well characteristic at a specific depth.

Once the changes have been computed, an interpretation of the change ofthe particular well characteristic may be displayed by using a graphicalrepresentation, depicted in block 810. In some embodiments, theinterpretation may be displayed in a three-dimensional format. As one ofordinary skill in the art should understand, the changes in theparticular well characteristic may correspond to specific changes in theformation or well bore, such as fracturing, that may be displayed in agraphical representation.

In block 812, it should be determined whether to continue the drillingoperation based on the price that generated. Any suitable technique maybe used to determine whether to continue the drilling operation. Forexample, the execution of the method may be set so that the answer isalways yes while the drilling operation is in progress, and the answeris always no after completion of the drilling operation. Or a user mayhave the option of continuing the drilling operation; for example, theuser may be prompted for a response. If the drilling operation is to becontinued, the execution of the methodology moves to block 814 fordetermining whether to continue pricing the drilling operation.

Next, it should be determined whether to continue pricing the drillingoperation, depicted in block 814. Any suitable technique may be used todetermine whether to continue pricing the drilling operation. Forexample, the execution of the method may be set so that the answer isalways yes while the drilling operation is in progress, and the answeris always no after completion of the drilling operation. Or a user mayhave the option of performing the methodology again; for example, theuser may be prompted for a response. If the pricing is to be continued,the execution of the methodology moves to block 702 for determining oneor more well characteristics while the drilling operation is inprogress.

To facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, thefollowing examples of certain embodiments are given. In no way shouldthe following examples be read to limit, or to define, the scope of theinvention.

EXAMPLE

For a hypothetical cementing operation, well characteristics for aparticular well were obtained as listed in Table 4

TABLE 4 Determined Well WCi Well Characteristics Characteristic WC1VERTICAL DEPTH 5,000 FT WC2 BHCT 150° F. WC3 DESIRED LEVEL OF FLUID LOSS200 CC

After obtaining the well characteristics of the particular well,reference values for the provided well characteristics were determined.Look-up tables were used to determine the reference values for theprovided well characteristics. The look-up tables used in this examplefor determining the reference values are provided below in Tables 5 to7. The reference values provided in the look-up tables are exemplaryonly and do not correlate to actual reference values for the associatedwell characteristics.

TABLE 5 Well Characteristic 1 VERTICAL DEPTH (FT) REFERENCE VALUE 1,0001 5,000 2 10,000 3 15,000 4

TABLE 6 Well Characteristic 2 BHCT (° F.) REFERENCE VALUE 100 1 150 2200 3 250 4

TABLE 7 Well Characteristic 3 DESIRED LEVEL OF FLUID LOSS (CC) 1REFERENCE VALUE 500 1 400 2 300 3 200 4 1 DETERMINED IN ACCORDANCE WITHAPI RP 10B, RECOMMENDED PRACTICES FOR TESTING WELL CEMENTS.

Accordingly, a reference value for a vertical depth of 5,000 feet wasdetermined to be 2, a reference value for a BHCT of 150° F. wasdetermined to be 2, and a reference value for a desired level of fluidloss of 200 cc was determined to be 4. Next, the reference value totalfor the hypothetical cementing operation was determined based on thereference values for the provided well characteristics. The referencevalue total (“RVTOTAL”) was the summation of the reference value foreach of the well characteristics. Accordingly, the reference value totalfor the hypothetical cementing operations was determined to be 8.

Once a reference value total was determined based on the determinedreference values, the price for the well servicing treatment wasdetermined based on the reference value total. A look-up table was usedto determine the price of the hypothetical cementing operation based onthe reference value total. The look-up table used in this example fordetermining the price is provided below in Table 8. The values indicatedin the look-up table for the prices are exemplary and do not correspondto an actual correlation between reference value totals and prices.

TABLE 8 reference Value Total Price ($) 2 4,000 4 6,000 6 8,000 8 10,00010 12,000 12 14,000 14 16,000

Accordingly, the price for this hypothetical cementing operation wasdetermined to be $10,000, based on a reference value total of 8. Theresults for this example are tabulated below in Table 9.

TABLE 9 Provided Well WCi Well Characteristic Characteristic ReferenceValue WC1 VERTICAL DEPTH 5,000 FT 2 WC2 BHST 150° F. 2 WC3 DESIRED LEVELOF 200 CC 4 FLUID LOSS REFERENCE VALUE TOTAL 8 PRICE $10,000

Therefore, the present invention is well adapted to carry out theobjects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as thosethat are inherent therein. While numerous changes may be made by thoseskilled in the art, such changes are encompassed within the spirit ofthis invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A method of cementing in a subterranean formation comprising:determining two or more well characteristics; determining a price of awell cement composition to be used in a well cementing operation basedon the two or more well characteristics, wherein the price of the wellcement composition is determined based on the two or more wellcharacteristics without determining a component cost of the well cementcomposition, and wherein determining the price comprises utilizing adata processing system; determining profitability of the cementingoperation; determining whether a discount is applied to the cementingoperation; transmitting the price of the cementing operation; completinga sale of the cementing operation; providing the well cementcomposition; placing the well cement composition in the subterraneanformation; and allowing the well cement composition to set in thesubterranean formation.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the methodfurther comprises: determining cement data for each cement compositionof a set of cement compositions; using the cement data to calculate atotal maximum stress difference for each of the set of cementcompositions; determining well events; comparing the well characteristicand well event stress states to the cement data from each of the set ofcement compositions to determine effective cement compositions for thecementing operation; and determining risk of cement failure for theeffective cement compositions.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein at leastone of the steps of determining the two or more well characteristics ordetermining the price of the well cement composition comprises utilizinga data processing system.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the dataprocessing system comprises at least one of the following: a computersystem or a handheld device.
 5. The method of claim 2 wherein thecementing operation comprises utilizing a neural network.
 6. The methodof claim 2 wherein the two or more well characteristics are determinedutilizing a computer system, wherein the computer system is capable ofgenerating the price of the well cement composition substantially basedon the two or more well characteristics.
 7. The method of claim 6wherein the two or more well characteristics are obtained from a secondcomputer system that is communicatively coupled to the computer systemvia a communication link.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein thecommunication link comprises at least one of the following: a directconnection, a private network, a virtual private network, a local areanetwork, a wide area network an Internet-based communication system, awireless communication system, or a satellite communication system. 9.The method of claim 6 wherein determining the two or more wellcharacteristics further comprises transmitting a list of two or morewell characteristics to input.
 10. The method of claim 9 whereindetermining the two or more well characteristics further comprisesreceiving input of the two or more well characteristics of the cementingoperation based on the transmitted list.
 11. The method of claim 2wherein determining the price of the well cement composition furthercomprises determining a reference value for the two or more wellcharacteristics.
 12. The method of claim 11 wherein determining theprice of the well cement composition further comprises determining areference value total for the cementing operation based on a pluralityof reference values, wherein each of the plurality of reference valuesis determined for a particular well characteristic of the cementingoperation.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein determining the price ofthe well cement composition further comprises generating the price ofthe well cement composition substantially based on the reference valuetotal.
 14. The method of claim 2 wherein the two or more wellcharacteristics comprise at least one of the following: a bottom-holestatic temperature, an applicable environmental regulation, a verticaldepth, a type of formation, a type of hydrocarbon, a geographical area,a formation porosity, a formation permeability, a desired pump rate, adesired density of treatment fluid, a desired level of fluid losscontrol, a desired pump time, an existence of a thief zone, a corrosionpotential, a pipe friction, or an existence of reactive shale.
 15. Themethod of claim 2 further comprising applying a profitability factor tothe determined price of the well cement composition.
 16. The method ofclaim 2 further comprising applying a discount factor to the determinedprice of the well cement composition.
 17. The method of claim 2 whereina customer accepts the determined price that was transmitted.
 18. Themethod of claim 2 wherein the well events comprise at least one of thefollowing: cement hydration, pressure testing, a well completion,hydraulic fracturing, hydrocarbon production, fluid injection, formationmovement, perforation, or subsequent drilling.
 19. The method of claim 2wherein the cement data comprises at least one of the following: Young'smodulus, Poisson's ratio, the Mohr-Columb plastic parameters, tensilestrength, unconfined and confined triaxial data, hydrostatic data,oedometer data, compressive strength, porosity, or permeability.
 20. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the two or more well characteristics compriseat least one of the following: a bottom-hole static temperature, anapplicable environmental regulation, a vertical depth, a type offormation, a type of hydrocarbon, a geographical area, a formationporosity, a formation permeability, a desired pump rate, a desireddensity of treatment fluid, a desired level of fluid loss control, adesired pump time, an existence of a thief zone, a corrosion potential,a pipe friction, or an existence of reactive shale.
 21. The method ofclaim 1 comprising updating the price of the well cement compositionwhile the cementing operation is in progress, wherein the updated priceof the well cement composition is used for evaluation of the cementingoperation being performed.
 22. The method of claim 21 comprisingadjusting the cementing operation based on the updated price while thecementing operation is in progress.
 23. The method of claim 1 whereinthe method is performed by a single user.
 24. The method of claim 23wherein the single user is an oilfield services company.
 25. The methodof claim 1 wherein determining the price of the well cement compositioncomprises determining a reference value for each of the two or more wellcharacteristics, wherein the reference value for each of the two or morewell characteristics is correlated with the price of the well cementcomposition.
 26. The method of claim 25 wherein determining thereference value for each of the two or more well characteristicscomprises at least one of the following: utilizing a mathematicalalgorithm or utilizing a look-up table.
 27. The method of claim 1wherein determining the price of the well cement composition comprisesdetermining a reference value total for the well cement compositionbased on a plurality of reference values, wherein each of the pluralityof reference values is determined for a corresponding one of the two ormore well characteristics.
 28. The method of claim 1 wherein thereference value total is a summation of the plurality of referencevalues.
 29. The method of claim 1 the price of the well cementcomposition is determined substantially based on the reference valuetotal.
 30. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the two or morewell characteristics comprises utilizing a data processing system. 31.The method of claim 30 wherein the data processing system comprises atleast one of the following: a computer system or a handheld device. 32.The method of claim 1 wherein the cementing operation comprisesnanoparticles.
 33. The method of claim 1 wherein the cementing operationcomprises utilizing a neural network.
 34. The method of claim 1 whereindetermining the two or more well characteristics comprises obtaining thetwo or more well characteristics from a user by a computer system,wherein the computer system is capable of determining the price of thewell cement composition substantially based on the two or more wellcharacteristics.
 35. The method of claim 34 wherein the two or more wellcharacteristics are obtained from the user of a second computer systemthat is communicatively coupled to the computer system via acommunication link.
 36. The method of claim 35 wherein the communicationlink comprises at least one of the following: a direct connection, aprivate network, a virtual private network, a local area network, a widearea network, an Internet-based communication system, a wirelesscommunication system, or a satellite communication system.
 37. Themethod of claim 1 comprising transmitting a list of well characteristicsto input.
 38. The method of claim 37 wherein determining the two or morewell characteristics comprises receiving input of the two or more wellcharacteristics based on the transmitted list.
 39. The method of claim 1comprising applying a profitability factor to the determined price ofthe well cement composition.
 40. The method of claim 1 comprisingapplying a discount factor to the determined price of the well cementcomposition.
 41. The method of claim 1 wherein the determined price ofthe well cement composition is transmitted to the user by a computersystem, wherein the computer system is capable of determining the priceof the well cement composition substantially based on the two or morewell characteristics.
 42. The method of claim 41 wherein the determinedprice is transmitted to a second computer system that is communicativelycoupled to the computer system via a communication link.
 43. The methodof claim 42 wherein the communication link comprises at least one of thefollowing: a direct connection, a private network, a virtual privatenetwork, a local area network, a wide area network, an Internet-basedcommunication system, a wireless communication system, or a satellitecommunication system.
 44. The method of claim 1 wherein the sale of thecementing operation is completed substantially based on the determinedprice of the well cement composition.
 45. The method of claim 1 whereincompleting the sale comprises utilization of an online purchasingtechnique.
 46. The method of claim 45 wherein the online purchasingtechnique is an expedited online purchasing technique.
 47. The method ofclaim 1 comprising determining whether an additional well servicingtreatment will be performed.
 48. The method of claim 1 comprisingproducing hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation after allowing thecement composition to set.
 49. The method of claim 25 whereindetermining the reference value for each of the two or more wellcharacteristics comprises utilizing a look-up table.
 50. The method ofclaim 49 wherein the relationship between the reference value and atleast one of the two or more well characteristics in the look-up tableis non-linear.
 51. The method of claim 49 wherein the relationshipbetween the reference value and at least one of the two or more wellcharacteristics in the look-up table is exponential.
 52. A method ofcementing in a subterranean formation comprising: determining two ormore well characteristics; determining a price of a well cementcomposition to be used in a well cementing operation based on the two ormore well characteristics, wherein the price of the well cementcomposition is determined based on the two or more well characteristicswithout determining a component cost of the well cement composition,wherein the determining the price comprises utilizing a data processingsystem; providing the well cement composition; placing the well cementcomposition in the subterranean formation; and allowing the well cementcomposition to set in the subterranean formation.
 53. The method ofclaim 52 wherein determining the price of the well cement compositioncomprises determining a reference value for each of the two or more wellcharacteristics, wherein the reference value for each of the two or morewell characteristics is correlated with the price of the well cementcomposition.
 54. The method of claim 53 wherein determining thereference value for each of the two or more well characteristicscomprises utilizing a mathematical algorithm.
 55. The method of claim 53wherein determining the reference value for each of the two or more wellcharacteristics comprises utilizing a look-up table.
 56. The method ofclaim 55 wherein the relationship between the reference value and atleast one of the two or more well characteristics in the look-up tableis non-linear.
 57. The method of claim 55 wherein the relationshipbetween the reference value and at least one of the two or more wellcharacteristics in the look-up table is exponential.
 58. The method ofclaim 52 wherein determining the price of the well cement compositioncomprises determining a reference value total for the well cementcomposition based on a plurality of reference values, wherein each ofthe plurality of reference values is determined for a corresponding oneof the two or more well characteristics.
 59. The method of claim 52wherein the reference value total is a summation of the plurality ofreference values.
 60. The method of claim 52 wherein the price of thewell cement composition is determined substantially based on thereference value total.
 61. The method of claim 52 wherein at least oneof determining the two or more well characteristics or determining theprice of the well cement composition comprises utilizing a dataprocessing system.
 62. The method of claim 59 wherein the dataprocessing system comprises at least one of the following: a computersystem or a handheld device.
 63. The method of claim 52 wherein thecementing operation comprises nanoparticles.
 64. The method of claim 52wherein the cementing operation comprises utilizing a neural network.65. The method of claim 52 wherein determining the two or more wellcharacteristics comprises obtaining the two or more well characteristicsfrom a user by a computer system, wherein the computer system is capableof determining the price of the well cement composition substantiallybased on the two or more well characteristics.
 66. The method of claim63 wherein the two or more well characteristics are obtained from theuser of a second computer system that is communicatively coupled to thecomputer system via a communication link.
 67. The method of claim 63wherein the communication link comprises at least one of the following:a direct connection, a private network, a virtual private network, alocal area network, a wide area network, an Internet-based communicationsystem, 7a wireless communication system, or a satellite communicationsystem.
 68. The method of claim 52 comprising transmitting a list ofwell characteristics to input.
 69. The method of claim 66 whereindetermining the two or more well characteristics comprises receivinginput of the two or more well characteristics based on the transmittedlist.
 70. The method of claim 52 comprising applying a profitabilityfactor to the determined price of the well cement composition.
 71. Themethod of claim 52 comprising applying a discount factor to thedetermined price of the well cement composition.
 72. The method of claim52 comprising transmitting the price of the well cement composition to auser by a computer system, wherein the computer system is capable ofdetermining the price of the well cement composition substantially basedon the two or more well characteristics.
 73. The method of claim 70wherein the determined price is transmitted to a second computer systemthat is communicatively coupled to the computer system via acommunication link.
 74. The method of claim 71 wherein the communicationlink comprises at least one of the following: a direct connection, aprivate network, a virtual private network, a local area network, a widearea network, an Internet-based communication system, a wirelesscommunication system, or a satellite communication system.
 75. Themethod of claim 52 comprising completing a sale of the cementingoperation.
 76. The method of claim 73 wherein the sale of the cementingoperation is completed substantially based on the determined price ofthe well cement composition.
 77. The method of claim 73 whereincompleting the sale comprises utilization of an online purchasingtechnique.
 78. The method of claim 75 wherein the online purchasingtechnique is an expedited online purchasing technique.
 79. The method ofclaim 52 comprising determining whether an additional well servicingtreatment will be performed.
 80. The method of claim 52 comprisingproducing hydrocarbons from a subterranean formation after performanceof the cementing operation in the subterranean formation.
 81. The methodof claim 52 wherein the method further comprises: determining cementdata for each cement composition of a set of cement compositions; usingthe cement data to calculate a total maximum stress difference for eachof the set of cement compositions; determining well events; comparingthe well characteristic and well event stress states to the cement datafrom each of the set of cement compositions to determine effectivecement compositions for the cementing operation; and determining risk ofcement failure for the effective cement compositions.
 82. The method ofclaim 81 wherein the well events comprise at least one of the following:cement hydration, pressure testing, a well completion, hydraulicfracturing, hydrocarbon production, fluid injection, formation movement,perforation, or subsequent drilling.
 83. The method of claim 82 whereinthe cement data comprises at least one of the following: Young'smodulus, Poisson's ratio, the Mohr-Columb plastic parameters, tensilestrength, unconfined and confined triaxial data, hydrostatic data,oedometer data, compressive strength, porosity, or permeability.
 84. Themethod of claim 52 comprising updating the price of the well cementcomposition wile the cementing operation is in progress, wherein theupdated price of the well cement composition is used for evaluation ofthe cementing operation being performed.
 85. The method of claim 52comprising adjusting the cementing operation based on the updated pricewhile the cementing operation is in progress.
 86. The method of claim 52wherein the method is performed by a single user.
 87. The method ofclaim 52 wherein the single user is an oilfield services company.
 88. Amethod of cementing in a subterranean formation comprising: performing acementing operation, the cementing operation comprising: providing awell cement composition, placing the well cement composition in thesubterranean formation, and allowing the well cement composition to setin the subterranean formation; determining two or more wellcharacteristics; and determining a price of the cementing operationwhile the cementing operation is in progress, wherein the price of thecementing operation is determined based on the two or more wellcharacteristics without determining a component cost of the well cementcomposition, and wherein determining the price comprises utilizing adata processing system.
 89. The method of claim 88 comprising adjustingthe cementing operation based on the determined price.
 90. A method ofcementing in a subterranean formation comprising: determining two ormore well characteristics; determining a price of a well cementcomposition to be used in a well cementing operation based on the two ormore well characteristics, wherein the price of the well cementcomposition is determined based on the two or more well characteristicswithout determining a component cost of the well cement composition,wherein the determining the price comprises determining a referencevalue for each of the two or more well characteristics, wherein thereference value for each of the two or more well characteristics iscorrelated with the price of the well cement composition, and whereindetermining the price comprises utilizing a data processing system;providing the well cement composition; placing the well cementcomposition in the subterranean formation; and allowing the well cementcomposition to set in the subterranean formation.
 91. The method ofclaim 90 wherein determining the reference value for each of the two ormore well characteristics comprises utilizing a look-up table.
 92. Themethod of claim 91 wherein the relationship between the reference valueand at least one of the two or more well characteristics in the look-uptable is exponential.
 93. The method of claim 91 wherein determining theprice of the well cement composition comprises determining a referencevalue total for the well cement composition based on the each referencevalue.